Sunday, January 27, 2008

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows a two-man race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. John McCain and Mitt Romney are tied for the lead at 27% and no one else is close. Mike Huckabee is eleven points back at 16%, Rudy Giuliani is at 14%, and Ron Paul is supported by 6% of Likely Republican Primary Voters (see recent daily numbers). New polling data released today shows Romney with a six point lead over McCain in Florida. But, the survey was conducted just before Governor Charlie Crist endorsed McCain and nearly one-in-four likely voters still might change their mind. Looking ahead, McCain leads in New York, McCain and Giuliani are close in New Jersey, while McCain and Romney are close in California. Huckabee leads in Georgia, Huckabee and McCain are essentially tied in both Missouri and Alabama.

The Democrats:

In the race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, has gotten much tighter. It’s now Hillary Clinton 40%, Barack Obama 31% and John Edwards 17% (see recent daily numbers). In general election match-ups, Clinton and Obama both lead Romney, McCain, and Huckabee.

Edwards and Obama are clearly splitting the "anybody but Hillary" vote. The best thing Edwards could do is take Obama up on his offer of the Attorney General position in an Obama administration and drop out and throw his support behind Obama.

With Edwards off the ballots and aggressively campaigning for Obama the majority of Democrats who do not want Hillary to be their party's nominee will have one candidate to rally around. The unions will also be delighted at the prospect of having a full-on certifiably insane class warfare loon like Edwards in the AG spot and will turn on the cash spigot to Obama and turn it off to Hillary.